Monday, July 15, 2013

TRAINING UPDATE

Quick Training update-

I started my 9 day training cycle instead of the traditional 7 day cycle last week. We get so caught up on a typical week that we think training should just go along with the same process. So far, I am really liking it.

A couple notes that I took from some key workouts this past cycle.

1) I am horrible at pacing myself when Running fast. I always go out too fast and die at the end. A good friend of mine who is an extremely talented runner always tells me to trust my fitness. Meaning, I dont trust my self to go slow in the beginning to where I can run fast at the end and post a good time. Instead, I want to gain time in the first half and hold on the second. Yep, never works out for me. So I shall focus on that my next couple of cycles

2) My biking is finally coming together. Biking is my weakest out of the 3, it was swimming,  but this year I finally am showing some signs of strength here. I have a couple different routes/distances that I do as Time Trials and compare from the time before. 3 weeks ago I did a 22mile TT and did the same one this past Saturday. I went 1.30min faster this time around. I was stoked, but absolutely spent since it was right after a hard swim workout.

Other than that, nothing has changed. Work, Training, yard work, cleaining the house, and reading. That is my life and takes up my life from 4am-9pm. Very blessed and thankful though!

G

Saturday, July 13, 2013

FILTERSFAST

A HUGE thank you to Filtersfast. They have supported me this year in a way I thought was not possible. If you need filters, literally any filter that exists (pool, air, water, car, pets), you can find it on their website at a crazy inexpensive price and have it delivered to your house in no time. My favorite product of theirs is the humidifier. Great for your office space at work and in your bed room at home.

Plus, they have this awesome charity going on right now. Free for you, all you have to do is log your walking/running miles on this website. Pretty cool!  http://www.filtersfast.com/w3/


refrigerator water filters

HAMMER NUTRITION

     A big Thanks to Hammer Nutrition for giving me the energy I need each day for every training session. Their gels/bars/and drinks-preferably Heed-are all I need for my training.
     I also read one of their books, basically a nutrition guide, and the best advice I learned was that you always wake up hungry but your body trains better without anything in your system when you wake up but a gel 10-15min in the middle of your workout is ideal and this has helped me tremendously. Check them out, and save 15% on your first order online :)

Thursday, July 4, 2013

TRAINING UPDATE

Good day everyone! Today is the 4th of July and it is rainy and dark. Which it has been this way for the last 7 days. I like it actually. When I went to Seattle Washington last year for a race, I had the pleasure to stay with locals there for a week and fell in love with the weather. Then again, I love our weather here in NC. All four seasons. Growing up in FL for 18 years, the one season atmosphere just was too boring for me and the heat was brutal sometimes.

Also, today- my bro is alone out on the boat on Duty(his fiance is a trooper and is at home doing her thing), my mom is alone, and my dad is alone. Definitely hurts when your so used to Holidays being all about family and doing whatever it was just as long as we were together. I look back and think about some arguments here and there but at the end of the day, I would take those any day over this feeling of knowing my family is all alone. But, thats life and you can only accept it. Plus, God is right next to me! :)

The last week or so of training, I have really dialed in on race specific workouts. Any race you enter in, make sure you do race specific training days. You never want to go into a race with any doubts. 

So I have been doing some swim/run workouts. Its definitely a different feel than your tradional swim/bike or bike/run. I also am implementing alot of speedwork. Im not doing a half marathon or marathon after the swim or the bike. Im doing a 10k and a 5k. Therefore, speed is crucial. Most of my training is 10k speed. If I do 5k speed training, then I might have a good 6-7k in the 10k portion of the race but the last 3k I will probably bonk since I wont have the endurance part. Same goes with the 1500m swim and 750m swim. Most of my swim training will be for the 1500m so I know i can maintain a good pace for the entire distance rather than just 1k of it. 

For instance, today- July 4th, I woke up at 4.30am- swam a 4k set with SwimMac Masters who are awesome and our coach is amazing. Then went to a local 5k to race in the middle of a 8mile run. I also wanted to cheer on one of the kids I coach who is 11 in which he did a 23min 5k... Then after 3 hours of yardwork, I did hard 1 hour bike session with a 3x8min workout in the middle and the goal was to hold a certain wattage. Which surprisingly went really well. So, today was one of those race specific days. Tomorrow i will run an easy 4miles and do some strength training so I can prep for my Saturday workout ;)

Here are some pics for you!

After a hard 23mile Time Trial bike, I had to stop and take this pic...


Long run with some awesome people, plus- that female is ranked in the top 15 in USA in the Half Marathon distance and can run a sub 2.33 marathon!

During this time of training, i read alot. No TV, just read.. However, Sox gets restless and looks at me like this, b/c he wants to play


After a swim workout on the 4th, in compression tights recovering with coffee and watching videos to get ready for my 8mile run w/ the 5k race in the middle



Our "That was painful" expression, and our "Lets Do it again!" expression. One of the kids I coach who I absolutely Love!




My front yard is getting there. Again, no tv means reading and yardwork to keep me busy!


My new backyard project. Love coffee out here, and Sox loves it too!




Thanks FiltersFast/Hammer Nutrition/Lululemon
refrigerator water filters